Exclusive rights to use the images An Evening Out, Boating Day & Paris Snowfall, painted by Thomas Kinkade under his brush name Robert Girrard, belong solely to Mr. & Mrs. George Goff. Use by any other party, including The Thomas Kinkade Company & its affiliates (TKCo), requires written authorization from the Goffs. See TKCo's acknowledgment here.

Welcome to girrard.com, the definitive site for collectors and art enthusiasts interested in the 'Robert Girrard' period of Thomas Kinkade's career. From an artistic, creative and personal standpoint, the Girrard Collection represents one of the most important periods of Thom's illustrious career.

Spending even a small amount of time with Thomas Kinkade, one soon recognized his quick, creative thinking. Creativity was a hallmark of Thom's life, and it birthed the legacy he has left.Thom's creativity also birthed the Girrard Collection. In the early 1980's Thom longed to paint with a broader, and sometimes softer, color palette than his academic landscape paintings allowed. Loving the romance of yesteryear, and admiring the work of the French impressionists, Thom was strongly drawn to paint his impressionistic interpretation of a bygone era. His goal was realized through the Girrard Collection, and several major Girrard paintings now stand among the most stunning masterworks of Thom's career.

It was my privilege to work closely with Thom during the years in which he painted the Girrard Collection, and I was with him the afternoon he painted his very first Girrard, a beautiful little gem titled Gazing. While most Girrard paintings were studio works, created over a period of time, Gazing was painted alla prima (wet into wet paint and finished in one sitting). It was a joy to watch Thom paint Gazing, as he worked indoors, using no 'scrap' (reference photos, sketches and other materials artists often use), working only from a vision carried in his imagination. I sold the 18x14 Gazing original oil in 1985 through my gallery in Carmel, California for a few hundred dollars. In May 2012 Gazing resold for $65,000.

As the art dealer who sold all but two of the 69 Girrard oil paintings Thom created, I visited his studio on numerous occasions, communicated with him regularly about each painting, and continue to enjoy a cordial relationship with many of the owners of the original Girrard oils.
I greatly admire Thom's Girrard body of work, and am delighted to share portions of it with you through this website.

George Goff
Owner, girrard.com

The most expensive Thomas Kinkade painting sold by Cottage Gallery during his Girrard period:

Thomas Kinkade created a beautiful, discreet body of original oil paintings from 1984 to 1990 under the brush name 'Robert Girrard'. Serious Kinkade collectors began discovering Thom's Girrard collection about ten years ago, and its popularity continues to grow. The Girrard paintings are timeless, subtle, and beautifully painted in an impressionist style, a style that first began to emerge in Paris in the 1860's. Interestingly, at first impressionism was rejected by the Paris art establishment and widely ridiculed. Today, impressionism is generally acknowledged to be the most popular of all painting styles.

A critical element in successful impressionist painting is a highly refined use of color. To a degree, artists are born with this, or they are not. Truly, it is the impassable gulf that stands between mediocre artists and the masters. Thomas Kinkade was blessed with a great sense for color, and he honed a very refined skill in applying that sense. No Kinkade collection reveals this more than the Girrard collection.

It is our privilege to share the Girrard images displayed on this site and we trust you will enjoy them. We expect to have additional Girrard oils from time to time to share with you.

If you have a question, or would like to share a story or experience that relates to Thom's Girrard era or work, please 'contact us'. We would greatly enjoy hearing from you.

Browse our 'gallery' and the 'about girrard' page to learn more about Thom's Girrard period.

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